One of the first things I hold in the morning, is my mug of coffee. It warms my hands and heart. The quality of the mug is important to me. My hands know the difference between a hand crafted vessel and one that has been made by a machine.
So I posed the question, “What do you look for in a mug? What makes your favorite mug special?” Although people like different mugs, everyone responds to how his or her mug feels. And that is, I think, what makes the hand crafted item special. It is made with feeling.
Jo, from St Louis, was the winner of our latest Mug Shot drawing, and I was delighted to see her lovely photograph of her new favorite mug.
If you would like to order a mug, priced at $22 each, we would be glad to make one for you. Each mug is made, one at a time, by hand, of white stoneware clay, and can be made in greens, blues or earth tones. If you have another color in mind, let us know; we have hundreds of glazes that have been developed over the years. Send me an email (FromSkilledHands AT gmail DOT com) , or use the contact form on this site.
We are a husband and wife team in the Village of Peninsula, Ohio; Steve throws pots and I make tiles. Sometimes he glazes my tiles, and sometimes I carve the pots he has thrown. We are truly a family business, as one of our daughters is working with us, casting, trimming, glazing and doing other things in the studio.
Let us know if you would like us to make something for you, and stay tuned for our new! improved website–complete with online ordering and a shopping cart.
Here’s a larger photo of the sheep mugs. We made these from porcelain clay, and, like everything we make, are safe for use in ovens, microwaves and dishwashers. They are $22.00 each. If you’re interested in them, send me a message, or post a comment, and I will get back to you.
A couple of weeks ago, I had posted some small tiles in process here. Those pieces have been glazed and fired.
These small pieces, that measure about 4.5″ x 4.5″, give me the opportunity to experiment with different carving and glazing combinations and techniques. I like the intimacy of working on a small scale, and the challenge of creating dimension on a flat surface.
Today I continued working on the bigger triptychs. I’ll post more images as they are available.
We’ve both been working hard in the studio. Steve was trimming cups and putting on handles:
I was working on these small tiles, and a larger triptych:
I’ll continue working on the triptych tomorrow and see how it evolves. There is something magical about the process. When I am quiet and attentive, the clay lets me know what I need to do.
I love porcelain clay. I love everything about it. I love the delicate smooth quality of it and how it requires that I pay attention. I love that it doesn’t let me hide; every finger and nail mark is right there. These are the marks of the craftsman; they show you the item was made by a person rather than a machine.
Working with porcelain is kind of like working with Philadelphia cream cheese as a canvas. You have to wait for just the right balance between wet and dry; an exercise in attentiveness.It’s a useful thing thing to work on.
I have been working on a new series of tiles, and some carved vases. My husband throws the vases, and I carve them. Here are a couple of pieces in process:
In a previous My Town Monday post, I wrote about the story of the Peninsula Python, where a runaway python, or the story thereof, terrorized the Village of Peninsula in the summer of 1944. Folks have long speculated what happened to the python, although no one really knows for sure.
On July 19th, the Village of Peninsula will celebrate the runaway reptile with the Peninsula Python Festival. From 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM, the python’s story will be commemorated with a costume parade, contests, games, music, artists’ demonstrations, food (does it taste like chicken?), and other events. Python sculptures will be decorated and displayed around the Village. Dolly Python is already adorning the front of the Downtown Emporium on the corner of Main Street and Locust. I am finishing the 2nd paper mache layer of our python. After it is completed, I’ll post photos of it for your viewing pleasure.
Our studio and gallery, Elements Gallery, is featuring the work of Akron artist, Pat Raeder. Pat is premiering her Jungle Series (the animals that didn’t get away). I’ll write more about Pat and her work in a separate post.
**On another note, #2 daughter and I will be traveling to the Adirondacks this week. I’ll try to have a post for next week. Stay tuned….
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Post a comment and you, too can be a member of the Peninsula Python Posse. Sam, Travis, Barrie, and the newest member of the Peninsula Python Posse, Eryl, would love your company (and you could win cool stuff, too!)
As always, the head honcho of the My Town Monday crew is Travis Erwin. Take a trip on over to his site, One Word, One Rung, One Day, and you can virtually visit places all over this blue planet.
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